Everything you need to know for 4 days in Geneva

Duration of trip: 4 days
Time of year: June 2019
Currency: Swiss Francs or Euros

Good to know:
• Tap water is safe to drink so bring a water bottle!
• You can pick up a FREE travel ticket valid for 80 mins on any bus, train or boat from the machine in the airport
• You can pick up FREE maps & information at the tourist info desk in the airport
• Read on for info on how you can bag 2 countries for the price of 1!

Broken Chair Statue

Hit the ‘Nations’ bus stop for cool fountains you can watch for hours, flags representing every country and the broken chair statue which promotes world peace. You can also purchase guided tours to the United Nations Office.

United Nations Fountains

Salève is a mountain in the French Prealps (yes I know this is a guide to Geneva..but I did say I’d give you 2 countries for the price of 1!) and if you want panoramic views of the Alps inc. Mont Blanc then this 2.5 hour trek is well worth it. Altitude: 1,400m.

The Alps

To get there: Take the bus to Veyrier-Douane. It’s the last stop before the French border. You can download the FREE TPG bus app or use the FREE tourist transport map (from the airport tourist info desk) to figure out the route. We got the no. 8 bus and a ‘day regional bus pass’ from the machines at the bus stops for GBP7.50 p/p.

Once at Veyrier-Douane (it should show you the stops on the handy TV screens on the bus) it’s a 5 min walk to start of the trail if you want to hike or to the cable car.

We hiked following the green and yellow arrows, it’s a well trodden path. It is steep so suitable shoes are a must! It took us approx. 2 hrs to reach the cable car station.

Mount Saleve

Mont Salève is also called the "Balcony of Geneva" and I can see why! It’s very versatile, you can mountain bike, trail run, road bike and paraglide on Mont Salève, whatever takes your fancy!

Mount Saleve Cable Car

We got the cable car down Mont Salève to save our legs (price 1 way GBP10.85).

You might not have thought it (we didn’t) but there are several beaches in Geneva. We checked out 2; Baby Plague is FREE but wasn’t all that pleasant on account of the construction work going on to join two of the beaches together and a sewage smell (unsure if linked). You can swim in the water but it didn’t appear that clean on the day we visited. ⠀⠀

Bains de Paquis

Bains des Paquis (pictured) cost 2 CHF (GBP1.59) to go in and this was much nicer. Crystal clear water and no bad smell. Worth the entry fee.

Geneva Old Town

Walking round the old town, pretty buildings and pretty pricy if you sit down for dinner! Probably every designer brand possible to peruse in the shops if that’s your thing.

Geneva Old Town

So as it turns out there’s not much to do in Geneva on a Sunday as everything is shut. They tend to see it as a family day. As we had no family to see and it was bucketing it down with rain we headed to a Swiss Restaurant and tucked into some raclette. Platefuls of melted cheese brighten up anyone’s day!